Method of making an oil seal



July 5, 1938. s c, LEONARD JR 2,122,477

METHOD OF MAKING AN OIL SEAL Filed Aug. 3. 1955 INVENTOR GIMPJ N G.LEONARDJK. I ATTORNEY- Patented July 5, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEMETHOD OF MAKING AN OIL SEAL Simpson C. Leonard. In, Detroit, Mich.Application August 3, 1935, Serial No. 34,548 1 Claim. (01. 29-1482)This invention relates to a method of making an oil seal.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved metallic housingfor a self-contained sealing unit having a minimum of parts and weightand which has sufficient strength to resist the strains and stressesimposed thereon; and to provide improved means for retaining thecomponent parts in assembled relation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method ofdeforming a portion of the housing for retaining the parts of the unitin assembled relation and simultaneously increasing the physicalproperties of the metal.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more apparent fromthe following description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

' Fig. 1 is a diametric section through a housing equipped with a sealembodying the invention,

showing the seal partly in section and partly in side elevation. I

Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view illustrating means for initially deforming aportion of the metallic housing, parts being broken away and in section.

Fig. 4 is a side view illustrating means permanently fixing thecomponent parts of. the sealing unit in assembled relation, parts beingbroken away and in section.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown a selfcontained, centrallyapertured seal, generally designated by the numeral III, which isinserted as anassembled unit within a tubular housing l2 in encompassingrelation to a centrally located rotatable shaft M. The seal I8 comprisesa cupshaped sheet metal stamping l8 having a radially extending flangei8 and an axially extending flange 20, the latter-being adapted toengage the inner wall of the tubular housing i2. The free end of theaxially extending flange 20 is of re duced thickness and is bentinwardly and at right angles to the flange 20 forming a radiallyextending flange 22 which serves to retain a leather packing 24 and ametallic centrally apertured ring- 26 in assembled relation with thestamping l6.

In conditioning the metallic stamping l6 for assembly with the componentparts of the seal,

50 the free end 22 of. the axially extending flange 20 in rollingcontact therewith. The free end of the flange 2|] of the metallicstamping I6 is inserted between the overlapping portions of the rollerand the part 34 of the roller 28 and rolled to a reduced thickness. Thelength of. the reduced portion of the flange 20 is predetermined by theextent of the overlapping of the roller 30 and part 34 of the roller 28.

The component parts of the sealing unit are assembled within thecup-shaped stamping l8 and the unit is inserted between a pair ofaxially aligned rollers 36 and 38, the former having a relativelyshallow circular recess 40 in which the unit is received. The roller 40is provided with an end portion 42 which conforms generally to thecontour of the adjacent face of the sealing unit with which it contacts.The roller 38 is provided with a part 44 adjacent the part 42 but of.less diameter than the latter. A third roller 46 is arranged in parallelrelationship with the rollers 36 and 38, the former having parts 48 and58 of different diameters which are spaced from the parts 42 and 44 ofthe roller 38. The larger part 48 is in radial alignment with thesmaller part 44 of the roller 38, and the smaller part 58 is in axialalignment with the larger part 42 of the roller 88, a space beingprovided between the respective radially aligned parts.

In operation of the mechanism, the parts of the seal are assembledwithin the stamping l8 and this assembly is placed into the recess 40 ofthe roller 88 and one of the rollers 38 or 38 is moved axially therebypressing the parts axially into the desired relation. Assuming that theroller 38 is moved axially, the reduced end portion of the free end ofthe flange 20 of the stamping l6 engages a shoulder 52 between the parts48 and of the roller 38 and further pressure causes the outer extremityof the reduced portion to be spun over the metallic ring 23, and uponrotation of the rollers illustrated in Fig. 4, the free end of theflange 20 is bent inwardly forming the flange 22 about the entireperipheral edge.

What I claim is: v

The method of forming a metallic housing for an oil seal which consistsin forming a metallic cup member having a base portion and a peripheralflange portion substantially at right angles to the base thereof,rolling the outer edge of the peripheral flange portion to reduce itsthickness, assembling a leather packing member and a metallic member inthe cup member, and finally crimping the reduced outer portion of theperipheral flange inwardly into pressing engagement with the metallicmember thereby forcing said member to press against said leatherpacking.

SIMPSON C. LEONARD, JR.

